San Diego has long been an incubator for great brewing talent and a center of innovation when it comes to great American craft beer. From early pioneers who pushed the lupulin beyond then-tested limits to ambitious wild and sour programs to imperial stouts of all kinds, local drinkers have never needed to travel far, and beer travelers regularly make trips to this Southern California city.
Amid all the forward-looking, boundary-pushing, seeking-to-do-the next-big-thing breweries in the city, Bagby Beer Company is a welcome respite. Founded by Jeff Bagby, a longtime brewer in San Diego who cut his teeth and honed his skills at some of the best-known breweries in the area, the brewery, restaurant, and event space that opened 4 years ago is a return to simpler times, offering balanced beers done to style and without too much fuss.
“We didn’t even launch with an IPA when we opened,” Bagby says. Although the brewery does serve one now, it’s clean, bright, hops-forward, and bitter. Bagby doesn’t do haze, yet customers still pack his place every night.